Why Explore the Antarctic

IT is now nearly twenty years since writer became associated with one of best known of polar adventuresthat in which Captain Scott with four senior members of his expedition so tragically lost their lives. Polar exploration is a subject of perennial interest but I have often been amused to see that more frankly layman questions me, nearer he comes to query constituting title of this article. One young lady only a few months ago expressed it as her opinion that we must have found our life down there very futile; which was, I hope, an extreme view of case. There are, of course, many ways of answering this question, depending mainly on personality of speaker. The business man's view differs from that of scientist; stay-at-home is influenced by one aspect, adventurer by another. Perhaps we may say that there are four magnets which draw explorers to poles. These are Adventure, Fame, Potential Resources and Science. The chance of adventure still appeals to a large number of 1800 millions who inhabit this small planet. It is well that it is so, for throughout history adventurous nation has flourished. Some eight thousand applicants sought to fill fifty positions involved in Scott's Last Expedition. Moreover, it is not unusual for men to return several times to Antarctic. This is often described as due to that mysterious force, the call of wild, but writer thinks that in many cases it might better be expressed as the push from city. Byrd's recent flight to Pole surely represents acme of adventure, but it was coupled with great achievements for science, for his aerial survey will probably clear up vexed

Epistemology · Geography · Meaning (existential) · Environmental Science · Geology · History · Oceanography · Philosophy · Polar Research and Ecology

• Griffith Taylor's Antarctica

  Open Access•Carolyn Strange•Polar Record•2010

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